


HokkeMao: 10 Seconds

by Niki_Chorissu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Christmas Fluff, First Dates, First Kiss, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niki_Chorissu/pseuds/Niki_Chorissu
Summary: One winter night, Hokuto finds out just how warm Christmas can be.
Relationships: Hidaka Hokuto/Isara Mao
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	HokkeMao: 10 Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> hello i am not good at writing but enjoy my yearning for a nice Christmas day :3

_ It’s cold. _

Hokuto sat, alone, as he watched the snow pile up on the concrete floor. He moved his hands up to his mouth to blow into them, in a measly attempt to warm himself up just a little bit.

Hokuto hated Christmas. It’s true that he didn't particularly dislike the idea of spending a holiday with your loved ones, but he hated the cruel, lonely reality of Christmas when that long-awaited day comes. He hated that, through all the excitement and hope for a nice celebration once in a while, it was just the same. He was alone, just like every year.

So Hokuto sat, in the freezing weather, watching the birds take flight as he fiddled with the yarn on the ends of his scarf. 

_ It’s cold. _

“...Hokuto?” A familiar voice piped up behind him, and Hokuto whipped his head around to look in disbelief. 

Isara Mao was standing there, with nothing but a thick coat and jeans on, and a small bag of groceries in his right hand. Mao felt as perplexed as Hokuto did, but he was slightly better at not showing it on his face.

“...Isara.” Hokuto replied. That was the most he could force out of his mouth at the moment. As if a switch had flipped inside Mao, he grinned from ear to ear as he leapt over the bench to sit next to him. 

“Hey. Fancy meeting you here, huh?”

“...Yeah.” Hokuto glanced at Mao tentatively, observing the way the streetlamp lights lit up his face so beautifully. To Hokuto, Mao has always been attractive. He wasn’t beautiful, per se, but there was...something about him that made him look so much better than other people saw. “That’s a crush”, people usually said, but Hokuto had yet to accept it. It was simply unprofessional to develop feelings for a member of your unit.

“Heh, and to think I’d run into you alone on Christmas Eve! I was sure you’d be out with someone, seeing that you’re such a popular guy~” Mao teased, swinging his hands over behind his head as Hokuto made a face.

“I have no idea what you’re getting at. I’ve never been popular with people, have I?”

“Eh? So Hokuto, you’ve never been out with anyone? Like, on a date?”

“...No, what about it?” Hokuto said, a slight blush tinting his face as Mao grinned mischievously. “Romance isn’t a necessity to me, so I wouldn’t spend my time going out on dates when I have more important things to do.”

“Hmm...Hey, Hokuto, should we go somewhere?” Mao suggested, leaning in closer to Hokuto as if he was anticipating a response. 

“...Why so sudden?”

“Because, y’know, all this talk about you never experiencing love made me sad! Come on, man. Think of it as me treating you to your first date.”

“A da-?!” Hokuto’s eyes widened upon hearing those words, and Mao chuckled quietly at his response. Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and awkwardly adjusted his scarf.

“I refuse.”

“Eh?! Why?!”

“...I mean, you’ve obviously got somewhere to be, don’t you? It’s Christmas Eve; I’m probably the only one miserably sitting out here alone on such a day. Go back to your family, Isara. I’m not going to get in your way.” Hokuto said, the flush on his face still remaining as Mao scooched even closer to him.

“It’s okay, Hokuto. My family’s just going to have dinner together like any other year, anyway, and my parents won’t mind if I miss out this year.”

“But-”

“Come on, Hokuto! It’s going to be fun, I promise.” Mao said with a determined glint in his eye. Hokuto stared silently at his boots, kicking at the snow in front of his feet as he became lost in thought, while Mao watched him with anticipation.

“...Okay.”

“Huh? For real?!”

“What? You were the one who brought up this idea. Could you be having second thoughts?”

“N-no! I just...I guess I’m just really happy.” Mao said, his eyes squinting as he beamed excitedly. Hokuto nervously evaded his eyesight, his heart pounding faster every time he did so much as look at Mao’s face.

_ There it is again,  _ Hokuto thought.  _ That smile that makes me let down my guard.  _

“Come on, Hokuto, let’s go! If we don’t hurry we’re gonna miss the light show, y’know?”

“You… something makes me feel like you’ve been planning this.” Hokuto sighed, and ran up to him half-assedly as Mao chuckled quietly before they walked through the empty streets together.

“I wonder.”

~~

“Woah...” Mao said as they finally stepped out of the train station, and a blinding array of colours were blinking in the night sky. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Hokuto?”

Hokuto never saw the big deal with Christmas illuminations. After all, they’re just big blocks of multicoloured LED lights that flash gaudy phrases like “Christmas Love” or statues of reindeer and presents. But nonetheless, he was going to play along nicely with Mao’s idea, because this chance felt like one in a million to him.

“...Yeah. They’re nice.”

“Which one’s your favourite?”

“I, uh…” Hokuto nervously scanned the area for an acceptable answer, and eventually just gave in with a sigh. “...I guess I like that one. Y’know, the one...over there, with the...the Santa statue, or something...like that...” Hokuto desperately tried to make up some compliments, but his voice soon trailed off into an embarrassed whimper as Mao doubled over laughing.

“You don’t have to try that hard for me, Hokuto.” Mao said, wiping a tear from his eye as his laughter calmed down. “Don’t be nervous, yeah? Dates aren’t that big a deal.” Mao said, but his actions went against his words as he stepped in closer to cup Hokuto’s cheeks in his hands.

“Wh- Isara?!” Hokuto exclaimed, and Mao just patted his cheeks playfully as if it were a way of telling him to loosen up. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect, and Hokuto found himself frozen and staring into space as he touched his face gently.

“Ah! Hokuto, come! It’s that popular crepe stand that everyone talks about!” Mao said as his eyes lit up as an excited child would.  _ Crepe? Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a little food.  _ Mao came back holding a single crepe in his hand. Two spoons were wedged into one dollop of cream, and Hokuto knew exactly what Mao was getting at.

“Really, you...” Hokuto sighed, raising an eyebrow at the determined look on Mao’s face. “How long are you going to act all lovey-dovey with me?”

“It’s no big deal, right? This is a date, after all.” Ah, yes. Hokuto and Mao were on a date. Two high-school boys, out on Christmas Eve together for their first date ever.

No big deal.

At this point, Hokuto had given up on trying to negotiate. He picked up the spoon as Mao beamed victoriously, and scooped up a spoonful of ice cream to eat.

“Huh?”

“...What is it now, Isara?”

“No, I was just wondering...aren’t you gonna feed that to me?”

“Eh?!” Hokuto exclaimed, but regained his composure before he could drop the dessert on his shoes. He looked into Mao’s eyes, then at the spoon, and back at Mao, before he let out a sigh of exasperation as he guided his hand towards Mao’s mouth.

Mao chuckled, parting his lips slightly and leaning in as he closed his mouth around the spoon, squealing quietly at the delicious taste that hit his tongue. Hokuto watched as Mao happily rocked back and forth on his toes, and nearly let out a loving chuckle as if they were already lovers.

_ Don’t get too carried away, Hokuto. He’s surely only doing this as a gesture of pity. _

“-uto. Hokuto!” Mao yelled, and when Hokuto snapped out of his train of thought, he found Mao waving a hand in his face to get his attention. “Hey, hey, what’s up with you today? You’ve been spacing out all day, y’know? Anyway, here! A spoonful for Hokuto. Open wide...” 

Mao pushed the spoon up against his lips, but Hokuto’s mind was racing with thoughts once again. Not wanting to waste any more time thinking, Hokuto grabbed Mao’s wrist and brought it away from his face to speak.

“...Why are you doing this?”

“Hm?” Mao replied, a tone of genuine confusion in his voice, before Hokuto mustered up the courage to tell him his true feelings.

“...Isara, you’re a fairly popular guy, aren’t you?”

“Huh?! What’s all this talk, suddenly?!”

“What I mean to say is, why would you want to go on a date with me? I’m introverted, boring to talk to, and just...not a fun person overall. Why would you go out of your way to spend Christmas Eve with a tedious person like me? It’s not as if you could possibly...l-like me or anything, so why would you do all this for me out of pity-”

“Hokuto.” Mao said, and stepped in closer to shorten the distance between the two boys. “Be quiet for a little.”

_ One. Two. Three. _

Hokuto counted the seconds that him and Mao stood still, looking into each other’s eyes with anticipation as Mao slowly brought his hand up to touch Hokuto’s face. Hokuto wasn’t stupid to the extent that he didn’t know what’d happen, but he was shocked to the extent that he had to blink a few times, just to confirm to himself that he wasn’t dreaming.

He wasn’t.

_ Four. Five. Six. _

Mao counted the seconds that he hesitated, looking for any signs of disapproval on Hokuto’s face, and the sight he was greeted with was nothing but twitching lips and an extreme blush. Hokuto was blinking, and Mao didn’t know why, but he had a look on his face that showed his disbelief so obviously. Mao leaned in closer, secretly questioning himself on if it would be better to stop, to avoid accidentally upsetting Hokuto.

He didn’t.

_ Seven. Eight. Nine. _

They both counted the seconds that they kissed. Hokuto’s eyes were squeezed shut, and he nearly lost his grip on the crepe in his hand as Mao stepped in closer. Mao awkwardly shifted his head, as if he were experimenting with a comfortable angle, while Hokuto let out an almost inaudible whimper as he stood still. Mao closed his eyes, expecting Hokuto to pull away halfway and leave him hanging.

He didn’t.

_ Ten. _

They pulled away from each other in unison, with a pop of the lips that were nearly silent, and stood facing each other in silence. Mao smiled, both of embarrassment and relief, and hesitantly brought his hand off Hokuto’s face.

“Moron.” Mao said, and Hokuto didn’t even have the courage to snap back at him. “Is that what you think of me? You think I’m the kind of person to date someone I don’t like, huh?” Mao sighed teasingly.

“Wh- no, that’s not-”

“Aw, man, and I thought you actually liked me back, Hokuto! To think that you’d call this wonderful date a mere pity party, I can’t help but be disappointed, can I?” Mao said with a mischievous smile on his face as he pouted and started to stroll away like a bratty child.

“Wait, Isara!” Hokuto yelled as he grabbed onto the hem of Mao’s coat. Mao stopped in his tracks, with a grin on his face that said he already knew what Hokuto was about to say.

“...I like you.”

“...Really?”

“Yes. I like you, a lot.” Hokuto said, and as he saw Mao’s grin turn into a tender smile, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders as Mao leaned in to kiss him once again.

Hokuto couldn’t ever explain the way he felt in that time. All he could feel was the comfortable warmth of Mao’s lips touching his, and their breaths synchronizing as their fingers intertwined. Hokuto couldn’t care less about the cream melting and dripping down onto his hand, and he couldn’t care less about the suspicious looks that the people around them were giving.

Hokuto simply did not care.

“Hey, I didn't know you could smile!”   
  


“Shut up. I have face muscles like any other person.”

“Sure, sure.” Mao said, and chuckled lightly as he took Hokuto’s hand once again, but this time they walked side by side through the crowded plaza.

_ Ah. _

_ It’s getting warmer. _

**Author's Note:**

> shameless self promo follow @HokkemaoP on twitter dot com


End file.
